An open house at the Tabor House and Civil War Museum in downtown Ellijay this Saturday will feature Cherokee Indian history, items from early settler days and Civil War materials, among other memorabilia. The hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the cost is $5 per person (children admitted free) to the event hosted by the Gilmer County Historical Society.
Local men dressed as Confederates will be set up outside with tables to show what a soldier would have with him besides his weapons, and female docents will be wearing dresses and hats from past eras.
“We will also have another ‘soldier’ upstairs in the Civil War room, and he will talk about David Bailey Freeman, the youngest Confederate soldier in the war, age 11, who was from Ellijay,” said Karen Vitelli, one of the organizers.
Visitors can learn about the Cherokee Indians who once lived in Gilmer County and the gold-mining town of Whitepath, which was on Chief Whitepath’s land. The chief and his wife were forced to go on the “Trail of Tears” to Oklahoma, even though a 5-pound gold nugget was found on his land. Neither the chief or his wife survived the trail, Vitelli noted.
“We will have an original Conestoga wagon parked out front so people can see what it would be like taking a wagon on the trail instead of walking,” she added. “It will be a good background for families to take photos. So come on out and get a good taste of local history from the oldest house in Ellijay, dated 1870.”
Light refreshments will be provided by two of our sponsors, BJ Reece Orchards & Little Baked Bakery in downtown Ellijay.
The Tabor House museum is located at 138 Spring Street next to the courthouse. More can be learned about the museum at gilmercountyhistoricalsociety.org.